Eerie Art Breathes Unnatural Life into H.P. LOVECRAFT'S HAUNT OF HORROR.

H. P. Lovecraft's Haunt of Horror by Richard Corben  after Original stories by H.P.L.

"That is not dead,
Which can forever lie,
And in strange eons,
Even death may die!"

Marvel's Max series has started doing comic adaptations of the great works of horror fiction.  This is a perfect fit, in as much as horror lends itself best to the medium of the short story, and Graphic Novels by their nature best interpret short stories.  Also, horror is often dependant on flights of fantasy that the artist's pencil can best bring to life.

Here, Richard Corben, a titan in the comics industry, most famous for his works in Heavy Metal, Eerie, Creepy, and Vampirella, lends his distinctive skills to telling nine tales drawn from the short stories and poetry of H. P. Lovecraft.

Notable for his "C'thulhu Mythos" H. P. Lovecraft is perhaps the best horror author of the 20th century.  In his short 47 years of life, he changed the genre forever, exchanging gothic imagery for a more cosmic horror wherein man is destroyed by his own understanding of his place in the cosmos.

Here, Corbin adapts his short stories, Dagon, The Music of Erich Zann, and Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family, and more intriguingly, the lesser used poems, Recognition (in The Scar), A Memory, The Canal, The Lamp, The Well, and The Window, most of which are drawn from his book of poetry, The Fungi of Yuggoth.  Not only does the volume present Corben stark interpretation of the tales, rendered in his distinctive greytone style, but the original source material is reprinted in its entirety following each story.

Corben's style is realistic, with distinctive distortions of human physiology (long faces and lantern jaws, cobby musculature, yet each individual is distinctive, with consistent portraiture).  His architecture and backgrounds are fully detailed, lavishly even, and his use of greytone shading is advanced, appropriate, and builds the stark depressive feel that is so important to Lovecraftian works. 

The three short stories were spread amongst the three volumes of the comic this Novel collects.  Each is prefaced by the cover art of that issue, notable for the use of a single colour to highlight and enhance the otherwise stark art.  It is remarkably effective.

Of the stories, Dagon and Arthur Jermyn are my personal favorites; Corben has captured the feel of the original work with surprising accuracy, evoking the same shuddering dread.  Among the poetry, The Scar, adapted from the poem Recognition, is the stand out tale, partly for the psychological complexity of the story.  The other poetic inspired tales tend to be a little simplistic and notably short.

Excellent writing on the part of Corben remains true to the masterpieces of Lovecraft.  Combined with his evocative art, these make powerful adaptations of the stories.  If you are a fan of Richard Corben, or the works of H. P. Lovecraft, you will love the wedding of their styles.  If you love great horror or really unusual Graphic Novels, then this definitely fits the bill.  Hard covered, it is a bit pricey for a three issue compilation at $19.95; however the quality more than makes up for this, and gives full value.

So if you want a Graphic Novel to give you the shivers on a cold winter's evening, this is a perfect choice.

The Master of the Macabre: H. P. Lovecraft

Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: The Dunwich Horror.
Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: The Shadow Over Innsmouth
Dark Adventure Radio Theatre: At the Mountains of Madness
H.P. Lovecraft Collection III: Out of Mind
H.P. Lovecraft Collection I: Cool Air
Dagon
Die Monster Die!
The Dunwich Horror
From Beyond
C'thulhu
H.P. Lovecraft's Haunt of Horror
The Call of C'Thulhu  (A Masterpiece!)
Dreams in the Witch House

Inspired by the Master's Hand:

The Courtyard by Alan Moore
Hellboy
The Mist
In the Mouth of Madness
Cloverfield

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